“What did you do in school today?”“Nothin’.”— Every child ever, since the beginning of time

In an education environment filled with smart boards, iPads for every child and kids who can hack the school’s Wi-Fi password in the time it took us to dial in with an unsecured Linksys, scores of classroom apps are emerging: Edmodo, Kahoot, ClassCraft, Google Classroom and others.

The apparent teachers’ pet is ClassDojo, a system for smartphone and desktop that allows teachers and parents to quickly share information, including homework assignments and pictures and video from school.

It has the potential to be a helicopter parent’s dream app. And while one might think that makes it an easy target for ridicule, the class clowns might as well sit down right now.

“ClassDojo has helped demystify what we do in class,” said Alexandra Blais, a Grade 1 teacher at École Jules-Verne in Montreal North.

Blais has been teaching for seven years and has used ClassDojo since 2014. Before then, the primary source of communication between her and parents was written notes in the child’s agenda. But agendas don’t come with push notifications and parents are more likely to forget to check them.

Besides, points out Laval mom Doris Gutenkunst, “I must ensure that I write in my son’s agenda the night before. He takes that to school and she should get the note that day — if it’s not the part-time teacher’s day with the class. … Otherwise interaction with the teacher is extremely limited.”

Gutenkunst’s son, Donovan, is in Grade 3 and his teacher doesn’t use an app. But big sister Daphne, in Grade 4, has a teacher who does. “When I want to write to the teacher, I can pick up my phone and send her a message. She can read it when she has the time and can quickly acknowledge my message, answer me if needed and I know that she has gotten what I needed to share with her,” Gutenkunst says.

Blais uses ClassDojo’s “class story” feature to open the door to her classroom. “I can take a picture of students doing a math activity. I can share a picture of the students who have earned a certificate for their good behaviour, or even film the graduation ceremony.”

It’s not just about helicoptering — it’s about teaching, Blais said: “I can also film the child reading aloud and show him the video so he can improve.”

âClassDojo has helped demystify what we do in class,â said Alexandra Blais, a Grade 1 teacher at Ãcole Jules-Verne in Montreal North.ClassDojo

ClassDojo is used in 70 per cent of Canadian elementary schools, according to numbers obtained from the California-based company. Provincial breakdowns were not available. Parents and teachers are promised security and Dojo automatically deletes all data when a user hasn’t logged in for more than a year. It can translate messages into 35 languages and ClassDojo spokesperson Lindsay McKinley notes it keeps the educational lines of communication open in households where both parents work or are divorced — scenarios in which messages can be lost in the shuffle.

Messages can be sent to every parent in an emergency situation — for instance, if a school were evacuated because of a gas leak. Or to just one parent in the case of a lesser emergency, like a forgotten lunch.

Children can choose or are assigned monster avatars and they can earn (or lose) points based on their classroom behaviour. Parents can see what the points are awarded for and can get a sense of where their child is excelling or needs work. Teachers can decide how students can spend those points, for instance, by bringing a toy to class or having lunch with the teacher.

“When I mention that I am going to add points for students who respect the silence rule in the hallway, I see my whole group doing more to respect the rule,” Blais said. “Since parents have access to their child’s points, it also allows parents to follow up with their child.”

Gutenkunst agrees. She says her daughter is eager to share with the family what she’s saving her points for. Reading and reacting to notes in an agenda is more passive participation.

How about that age-old “nothin’”? Parents have told Blais the notes and pictures sent via the app help them have better discussions with their children, because they can ask questions about specific activities.

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